2004 jeep grand cherokee cranks but wont start

Q: Why will my Jeep turn over but not start?

My Jeep Wont Start but It Turns Over If your starter spins but it does not start/crank the engine then you have a starter problem. The spindle or drive inside the starter is possibly damaged. If the starter is repairable, you can have the drive spindle replaced, otherwise youll need to replace the starter.

Q: Why does my Jeep Cherokee not start sometimes?

The most common reasons a Jeep Cherokee wont start are a dead battery, an alternator problem, or failed starter.

My car won't start. It turns over but just cranks. My gauges stopped working and my fuel pump is on continuously. It just died on me getting on the high way. What could it be?

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My car won't start. It turns over but just cranks. My gauges stopped working and my fuel pump is on continuously. It just died on me getting on the high way. What could it be?
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Why is my Jeep Grand Cherokee cranking but not starting?
Why will my Jeep turn over but not start?
Why does my Jeep Cherokee not start sometimes?

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1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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I am having an impressively bad time with my 04 grand cherokee overland. It started with a fluctuation in my volt meter on the dash then a long time after that the gauges started going ballistic so I went on a hunt for a loose ground wire… the main body ground in the engine bay was rotting out so I drilled a new hole and re-ran that wire. It started, then a few minutes later the gauges started bouncing all over the place again. I took the center console out to check for loose wires then went to start and engine will only crank over but won't even try to start. I noticed the key icon was on the dash so I considered the possibility that it could be the key chip module or the pcm so I disconnected the battery to see if it would reset. When i reconnected the battery, the alarm started going off. At the same time I lost the driver door functions (windows, door locks as well as all other door window switches but I can operate door locks from other doors). The alarm now goes off if i open any doors other than drivers side or turn the key in the ignition. The driver door jam wiring in the boot is all intact and getting power and grounding (sidenote:the speaker is functioning…) i disconnected the horn and kept checking wiring when a half hour later I discovered fuel was pouring out of the airbox. The motor was completely hydrolocked with fuel so apparently the fuel pump was cranking the whole time the key was just on and the alarm was going off. I have since removed all spark plugs, the fuel relay and cleared the fuel out of the motor as well as drained the oil and gas and put fresh oil in… my code reader will not sync with the vehicle.

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2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Joined Feb 9, 2019

17 Posts

Discussion Starter · #1 · Dec 21, 2019

Jeeps doing good after transmissions rebuild back in February. I appreciated all the assistance you guys gave me. Now I have a new issue and after dropping $2300 on transmission im trying to keep the cost down on this repair if possible.

2004 WJ Limited. Cranks over but will not start at all.

Replaced both Crank Sensor and Cam Sensors today with no change.
Checked fuel rail and fuel comes out, You can hear the fuel pump come on when turning key on.
I replaced the Crank sensor after buddy watched a spark plug while I was starting the jeep and said there was no spark.
He also hooked his scanner up to it and jeep shows so signs of RPMs when cranking and neither did his tester.
SKIS light does come on but goes off like normal, keyfob seems to be fine locks doors.
Checked all fuses under the hood and inside nothing is blown.
not sure if this is normal but battery sits at about 9 when I turn the ignition on. I even hooked up jumper cables from my other car just to see. but the battery is maybe a little over a year old.

I am at a loss any help would be appreciated.

Joined Feb 9, 2019

17 Posts

Discussion Starter · #2 · Dec 22, 2019

I apologize I wrote the above pretty quickly.

Jeep is a 4.7L version

with some of the searching I have done I can only assume since I dont have spark on one of the plugs I need to dig farther into that. Here is some questions I have

If I replaced Crank and Cam sensors what can I check next for spark?
Will faulty PCM cause no spark? Is there a way to test if PCM is faulty?
Could TPS sensor cause this cranking with no start?

The only codes the OBDII pulls are below and none of these seem like they would cause the Jeep to not start.

P0123 - Throttle Position Sensor/Switch A Circuit High Input
P0118 - Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Circuit has higher than normal voltage
P0113 - Intake Air Temperature (IAT) Sensor Circuit High Input Problem

I have had no issues with starting the jeep it would rev pretty high at start up and kind jump up and down some when warming up I was able to resolve that for a little bit after cleaning the throttle body up but that has been about it for starting the jeep. I was driving the jeep Saturday to store and it was fine tried to move it Sunday but and it wouldn't start.

Joined Feb 9, 2019

17 Posts

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 4, 2020

No one has any ideas for me to try, My buddy and I even spent the afternoon double checking fuses, testing voltage to the plugs. I even dropped another $250 for a PCM and still it will not start. Just cranks.

Can anyone tell me if replacing the PCM should the same engine codes come up?

Joined Aug 5, 2020

44 Posts

I would check your ASD relay, if it goes bad, you wont get spark. The PCM will not ground the coils to produce spark. Also, I would for sure fix the TPS sensor and IAT sensor, they are a must for your engine to run properly. Give those a shot and see what happens. Best of luck to you!

Joined Apr 19, 2018

4,841 Posts

This^
Definitely check out the ASD relay.
A bad CPS is notorious for no spark non starting problems but that was already replaced.
A new one (or an old one) can work great for a short or long while and instantly go bad.
Wouldn't be the first time a new part went bad.
I would try another CPS if the ASD relay checks out preferably a Mopar CPS.
There are methods to test the CPS. I would research UTube or Google for how to with your year and engine Jeep.

Why is my Jeep Grand Cherokee cranking but not starting?

The reason for this phenomenon is a faulty crankshaft position sensor. This sensor is responsible for relaying information to the engine control unit (ECU) so that it ignites a spark. If the sensor is faulty, the ECU will not be able to ignite the sparks, and the engine may not start as a result.

Why will my Jeep turn over but not start?

My Jeep Won't Start but It Turns Over If your starter spins but it does not start/crank the engine then you have a starter problem. The spindle or drive inside the starter is possibly damaged. If the starter is repairable, you can have the drive spindle replaced, otherwise you'll need to replace the starter.